From Lion Cub to Lioness

This summer, England fell in love with football again, but it was the women, not the men making all the headlines. Twenty Five years after Gazza cried and Sir Bobby Robson took England to the World Cup Semi Finals, England's Lionesses claimed third place in FIFAs Women's World Cup. Since the tournament ended, attendances in the Women's Premier League (WPL) have soared, but what does this really mean for the development of the women's game?

Somer Valley Sport Show presenter, Ian Nockolds, visited the Somerset Football Association to ask what they hoped the legacy of England's Lionesses would be. Speaking with Aaron Clements, Women and Girls Development Officer, Ian started by asking how his daughter Juliet, 16 months, could become one of England's heroines of tomorrow.

"This summer, the FA Skills programme will be running coaching session across the county. Free sessions for girls are being run at Rode Playing Field on July 30th and at Purnells FC on August 6th, both starting at 12:30. These cater for girls aged 5 to 11, so Juliet has a few years to wait!" said Aaron.

"Any girls wanting to develop their footballing skills further should look to find a local club. Both Purnells and Midsomer Norton Football Club organise teams for children as young as 7. If Juliet showed promise at her local Club, the next step on the ladder would be the Somerset FA Girls Advanced Coaching Centre, liscened by the FA for Talented females in the county aged 10 to 16. From here, Juliet would need to show the ability to progress on to the South West’s Regional Excellence Camp, where impressive performance and ability, could lead to an England call up, from U15 level, up to the senior team. If talented enough, it could also lead to securing a contract with a Womens Super League club.

Will Juliet play for England? Only time will tell, but if she doesn't make it, the opportunities to be involved in football are many and varied. From Football Admistration to Refereeing, the pathways for women to get involved in our National game are becoming every bit as well established as the oppoutunities that exist for men. Outside of playing, Juliet could even consider following her father into the commetray box!

Over the next few weeks the Somer Valley Sports Show, broadcast live on 97.5FM, Tuesdays at 6pm, will feature a series of interviews with the people charged with developing the Womens game in the County, including Joanna Stimpson, Referee Development Officer and Kirsty Whitton, Children and Young People Football Development Officer.

If you are want to see if your Lion cub can turn into a Lioness this Summer, visist www.thefa.com/skills to find out more about the coaching courses on offer to boys and girls in your area. To find out more about your local Football Clubs visist http://www.somersetfa.com/findaclub.